Be Glorified.

4/29/2016

As I was doing my devotions this morning, I was reading in John 9 and was super encouraged and thought I would share with you all…

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” – John 9:1-3

These verses really stuck out to me for a few reasons. In life, we often hear the words and question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or the opposite, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” In my life, especially recently, these questions have been a constant theme throughout recent events. I tend to get frustrated and unfortunately, begin to question God about why he allows certain things to happen. Unfortunately, I allow myself to feel entitled to only good things happening to me because I am following God. I think that because I am doing my best to walk the path that God has for me, he should reward me for that. Honestly, I could not be more wrong in this thinking. God allows certain things to happen so that HE can be glorified. In the good, in the bad, in the uncertain, He can be glorified. Without struggles, hardships, pain, loss, tragedy, uncertainty, etc… why would we follow Jesus? We follow Jesus out of love and devotion, trust and hope. If we truly believe Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” then we should not question the struggles and difficult times. We should not question why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. We should not feel entitled to only the good outcomes, only the good circumstances, only the good things in life because we follow Christ. Sometimes, God allows certain things to happen so that He can be glorified. That’s it. Whatever we go through, good or bad, the only question we should have is, “How can I glorify God through this?” because, just like in these verses, the only reason the man was born blind was “so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

I pray that this is an encouragement to you as well. We serve a great God that is in complete control of every situation! Praise Him!